Timothy C Wardhttp://www.timothycward.com
Home of Spike Publishing, Book Reviews, Giveaways, and Author InterviewsWed, 20 Sep 2017 16:50:55 +0000en-UShourly1http://thirdscribe.com/?v=4.8.2http://www.timothycward.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2016/07/cropped-Ebook_1700px-2500px_72DPI-32x32.jpgTimothy C Wardhttp://www.timothycward.com
3232Interview and Giveaway – LitRPG author Apollos Thorne, CODENAME: FREEDOMhttp://www.timothycward.com/2017/09/02/interview-and-giveaway-litrpg-author-apollos-thorne-codename-freedom/
http://www.timothycward.com/2017/09/02/interview-and-giveaway-litrpg-author-apollos-thorne-codename-freedom/#commentsSun, 03 Sep 2017 00:17:39 +0000http://www.timothycward.com/?p=5499Welcome to the blog, Apollos Thorne, author of Codename: Freedom: Survive Week One, one of my newest books on Kindle Unlimited. I’ve really enjoyed reading LitRPG books like The Land and Viridian Gate Online. I’m excited to meet new authors in this field, and Apollos sounds like he’s got a great idea going here. The giveaway will be for a Kindle book of Codename: Freedom. Comment below to be entered. US only. Giveaway ends at noon CDT on 9/8/17.

(If you’re new to LitRPG. Here’s a link to a list of books and a definition of the genre.)

1. How did you first become a fan of LitRPG?

That’s really hard to pinpoint, so instead I was first inspired to start writing in the genre by Sword Art Online and The Gam3.

2. What ideas inspired you to write your own?

I saw a lack of realism in the genre at the time, specifically in regard to combat and the game systems. The question, what would this look like in the real world led me to Codename: Freedom. The leveling system is based on military grade mixed reality and how it could enhance our abilities. Other than that, the players have to really learn how to fight to take advantage of their new found enhancements.

3. How does your newest book, Codename: Freedom blend what you love most about sci-fi and fantasy?

I hinted at this above, but I have a background in boxing, kickboxing and MMA, so the lack of gritty, realistic action looked like an opening to me so I capitalized on it. Also, there is a space opera vibe that’s hinted at, that will only grow.

4. How does Codename: Freedom incorporate a game experience into the narrative?

Once the MC and other characters enter Codename: Freedom, they level up just like in any RPG, but they upgrade their enhancements based on military mixed reality. As an example, their local map expands as they level up and more detail can be added if they choose to upgrade that aspect with their ability points.

5. What are the stakes in the game and for our main character?

100% pain. The reason why Codename: Freedom wasn’t longer was because I wanted to focus on how the MC and his friends deal with really having to face this pain factor. Its not the first LitRPG with this as an aspect, but I don’t think anyone has really done it justice, or focused on it until now. They have to figure out whether its even worth it for them to stick around in Codename: Freedom if you will have to suffer for an extended period of time while their wounds heal.

6. What is the setting and time period?

Approximately 300 years in the future. The tech used for Codename: Freedom isn’t a deep dive system. Each player has to enter their own house sized cube filled with dozens of robotic arms. When they run, their character runs. When they fight their character fights. When they get hurt…

7. What’s your production schedule for more stories? Any way to get bonus content via newsletter or secret group?

Right now I’m aiming for a new book every 4-6 months. If book two does well, then I can possibly go full time, which will greatly improve my output. The best avenue for extra content is Apollos-Thorne.com. I also have book 1 of Underworld – Level Up or Die! coming in approximately 2 months.

Thank you for the opportunity!

BiographyApollos Thorne is the author of the series Codename: Freedom and Underworld: Level Up or Die! originally posted on royalroadl.com. After 500k views on the rough draft of his first fiction, he concluded it would be foolish not to pursue publishing. A little over a year and a half later, he is now publishing book one to Codename: Freedom on 07/12/2017.

He first got a taste of RPGs with Dragon Warrior on the NES at around the age of six. Final Fantasy VII propelled RPGs from a hobby of his to more of a passion in his early teens. His first MMORPG was NexusTK – Kingdom of the Winds, a 2D Korean online game from the 90s. Since he has played over fifty different MMOs. His passion for reading and writing started later but was inevitable because it was the story of RPGs enticed him. In high school, he tried reading The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings but had trouble staying interested. It was in college when he picked up the Farseer Trilogy that his love of fantasy fiction really took off. After that, it was rare for him not to finish at least a novel a week. In 11/01/2015 he found the website royalroadl.com. As a website it allowed anyone to publish your fiction and get feedback from readers. He was intrigued. Beginning to post book one of Codename: Freedom, he finished eight months later. Another story came soon after and hopefully mid to third quarter 2017 he will be self-publishing book one in the Codename: Freedom series. Underworld: Level Up or Die! should come later in the year or early 2018. If things go well, he expects to publish a new book in each of these ongoing series every 3-5 month.

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]]>http://www.timothycward.com/2017/09/02/interview-and-giveaway-litrpg-author-apollos-thorne-codename-freedom/feed/11Interview and Giveaway – Patrick Hemstreet, THE GOD PEAKhttp://www.timothycward.com/2017/08/21/interview-and-giveaway-patrick-hemstreet-the-god-peak/
http://www.timothycward.com/2017/08/21/interview-and-giveaway-patrick-hemstreet-the-god-peak/#commentsMon, 21 Aug 2017 22:38:20 +0000http://www.timothycward.com/?p=5488Thank you for joining us on this giveaway and interview with Patrick Hemstreet, author of THE GOD PEAK (available August 22 from Harper Voyager).

**Giveaway prizes: 1st winner gets paper copies of both The God Wave and The God Peak; 2nd winner gets choice of either book in paperback. US only. Comment below to enter.**

Patrick Hemstreet is a neuro-engineer, entrepreneur, special warfare-trained Navy medic, standup comic, actor, and the author of The God Wave and The God Peak. He lives in Houston, Texas, with his wife Abby, and sons Gideon, Ezra, and Seth.

What are one or two advancements in neuroscience that support the premise of your series?

The advent of brain to machine interface is in the news daily. College students flying drones with an EEG link is the latest article to pop up on my social media feed. Elementary brain to machine or computer interfaces are really becoming commonplace.

How do modern video games enhance the likelihood of research that could lead to the god-like powers shown in your series?

Well VR is a sure fire way to fool subconscious mind into believing it has the power to levitate objects. All kidding aside, I believe VR is a very exciting frontier that I am happy to cross. It is a perception altering game-changer.

What is the setting for your story, and how does the advancement in this technology affect the world at this time?

It’s, for the most part, modern day. The effect on civilization and ultimately our species is the overarching premise of the trilogy. I’d hate to give that away in a snippet, but suffice it to say the technology first introduced in The God Wave is a catalyst for profound changes in the human condition.

What kinds of character conflict do we have in book one, The God Wave?

Book one largely has Matt vs. Chuck, the former being a no nonsense businessman and the latter an altruistic boy scout. While the best path is of course a via media, these two go at each other from their own extreme positions.

What can you share about how book two expands the conflict?

Book two explores several conflicts. There are many forces pulling in multiple directions. Chuck and the betas, Sara and the alphas and their respective relationships with the government. We also see Lorstad and The Benefactors enter the fray. The conflict/s in book two, to me, seem/s a bit more complex and layered.

What has been the biggest challenge writing this series?

Blending science and mysticism is something I am pretty passionate about. This blending is something I strive to place front and center in my stories. Since these two concepts are polar opposites this can present heavy challenges. The bumps in the road are what increase our creative scope in the end.

Is there anything readers should know about upcoming stories?

Just open your mind to new possibilities before you crack the book is all.

Where is best to stay connected with you online?

I can best be reached on Twitter @Hemstreetauthor. I am very active and generally respond to most tweets and direct messages.

Thanks for your time, Patrick. I am very excited to see how the story expands in book two, The God Peak. For those who haven’t read book one, The God Wave, definitely go check it out. The infusion of neuroscience into a near future thriller is one of a kind and brilliant.

Comment below to enter the giveaway. Winners will be chosen at random on 9/8/17 at 5pm CDT. If winner does not respond within 24 hours, a replacement will be chosen.

Possible comment questions: Have you read the first book? What do you think about neuroscience thrillers?

This was my first experience reading Arenson. I’m solidly impressed with what he’s done here, both with the story premise and how I felt in the end about wanting to read on in the series.

The blurb says this is an ideal fit for fans of Ender’s Game and Starship Troopers. I agree. Earth Alone delivers on the sense of camaraderie that builds in a boot camp setting, while empathizing with the difficult scenarios that brought each member. The main character has a strong love triangle situation going, and while Earth Alone is not a romance, you feel for the young man being a bit of a romantic, and getting his heart broken once or twice along the way. We have plenty going for it as the series builds off book two in this regard, but more so in the aspect of him learning to be a soldier. I don’t want to spoil the transformation, so I’ll just say Arenson did a great job with this character and making me want to root for him in subsequent books.

The premise is a good one for fans of alien invasion and military science fiction. The aliens that invaded fifty years ago pushed Earth’s buttons, and got nuked pretty bad because of it. The strategy shifted to more of a death by a thousand cuts approach, where they send advance troops that land like meteors, can infect people with hideous and sterilizing diseases, and can certainly kill hundreds at a time before they’re taken down. This takes our main character, who would rather read and write his life away in the comfort of peace, and forces him into war. I really empathized with him in this. I have so much admiration for our service members for doing what I don’t and can’t. Well, our main character doesn’t have that freedom to avoid the sacrifices and struggle to come in the war he’ll be thrown into, and I admired seeing not only how he reacted, but also how Arenson crafted his story.

There’s a sense looking back on books like Starship Troopers, Ender’s Game, and more modern examples like Germline and Quarter Share that books this good, and the authors who write them, are hard to find. I believe Earth Share is one of those books, and seeing how prolific Arenson is encourages me of the many more stories I’ll have to enjoy.

The narration by Jeffrey Kafer is as always a rock solid contribution to audiobook loving military science fiction. This guy keeps getting gigs for a good reason, and I’m glad to see him joining this project.

What books would come to mind if someone asked you for modern day fantasy stories? Not Urban Fantasy, where the tropes are vampires, werewolves, shapeshifters battling witty detectives, leather clad woman with long knives, or hunks with crossbows. I’m talking about books that were inspired by epic fantasies like Dragonlance, mixed in with a love for post apocalyptic fiction like The Walking Dead, but without dragons, knights, or long and boring buildups prior to the zombie horde finales.

The closest I can think of is Stephen King’s Dark Tower series. The Gunslinger goes back and forth between a weird world and our modern one, but most of it is in the weird realty, which is more like a wild west setting.

The reason I ask, in full disclosure, is because I wrote a modern fantasy called Godsknife: Revolt. I like to think it’s audience is post-apocalyptic fans who also like fantasy, but the genre mashup is failing to attract fans of either, so I’m trying to find out books in this modern day fantasy–bordering on horror–and to see what they do well and whom they’d call fans.

One of my favorite quotes from reviews points out that complexity of Godsknife’s genre fit, which is nice to see in terms of finding a fan, but how many other readers are looking for this kind of epic fantasy/not epic fantasy…not urban fantasy…not horror…not post-apocalyptic survival fiction…modern day fantasy?

Here’s what Anindita had to say:

“A tasty and addictive cocktail of the speculative fiction genre… Godsknife:Revolt is grimdark (oh yeah) and happening. The intro and conclusion are surprising, shocking, and every bit as intriguing as the entire plot.” ~ Anindita Choudhury

It’s a speculative fiction cocktail, and also grimdark. I’m glad that it’s tasty and addictive, but if I told people that I wrote speculative fiction, they’d have nowhere to start picturing the genre tropes. If I said grimdark, they’d likely turn to Joe Abercrombie and Mark Lawrence… and Game of Thrones. This isn’t Godsknife, and while I’d like to think it would appeal to fans of Medieval Fantasy, that genre has just as much as the next when it comes to quality content. Readers of Medieval Fantasy don’t need to branch out…unless they’re looking for a twist, and Godsknife has that, but I don’t get that sense from them. They see modern, take a hard left at their idea of Urban Fantasy, and leave me mid breath.

If you’re looking for an easy starter, I wrote a short story, Godsknife: Lineage that takes place prior to the praying mantis invasion that takes shape in Revolt.

Tim’s newest novel is Godsknife: Revolt, an apocalyptic battle for godhood in the rift between Iowa and the Abyss.

]]>http://www.timothycward.com/2017/07/05/what-books-are-modern-day-fantasy/feed/1For Steam and Country – an interview with Jon Del Arrozhttp://www.timothycward.com/2017/06/15/for-steam-and-country-an-interview-with-jon-del-arroz/
http://www.timothycward.com/2017/06/15/for-steam-and-country-an-interview-with-jon-del-arroz/#respondFri, 16 Jun 2017 00:54:48 +0000http://www.timothycward.com/?p=5432TW: Your debut novel, Rescue Run made the top ten in Space Opera books on Amazon. I’m a big fan of Space Opera, so I’m always curious what books stand out above the rest. Why do you think Rescue Run has been such a hit for Space Opera fans?

JDA: The feedback I’ve been getting is it’s just fun. It’s got action, romance,adventure, a little of everything. People really connect with Joan as a character, and love her AI companion that she named G.O.D. People want fun space stories that don’t go too dark and dreary. That’s what made people love the original Star Wars films.

TW: Your bio states, “reading and writing Space Opera is his life!” What tropes annoy you the most, and which are the hardest to do well?

JDA: I’m sick of the over the top darkness in characters. Trying so hard to be “edgy”, to create shock situations for readers or viewers to gasp about and then post about online afterward. While that works for a one time view, it’s not rereadable. It doesn’t connect you to people — because real life isn’t that dark for most folk. If you look at what stands out over time, it’s characters who are grounded in something people can connect with, characters that readers want to win. If you lose that, you lose your audience over time.

TW: If you could pluck out a super ability of a favorite Space Opera writer, what and from whom would you pluck it? What is your super ability?

JDA: Lois McMaster Bujold’s sense of prose. She is just so incredible I don’t know how she does it. Her words read like poetry. I think my super ability is being able to make protagonists that people can connect with. That by itself makes stories work for a lot of people and is something to focus on.

TW: Do you have any advice to Space Opera writers on what to bulk up on for research prior to plotting their next series?

JDA: Work hard on the world. Work hard on the characters. Know your universe like the back of your hand. What happens in 10-50 years, 100 even. Babylon 5, one of my favorites, the writer knew the fate of his universe a million years in either direction. It may seem extreme as the show itself was a 5 year span, but it helped bring so much wonder and detail that that’s why it stands as one of the best film works of all time.

TW: Rescue Run is the first novel set in the Star Realms universe, which is also a deckbuilding game. What made you decide to pick that opportunity for your debut novel?

I love Star Realms. It’s the most fun card game/app out there (there’s a free version to try it too — but warning, it’s addictive!). I love the space ships, the bases, the battle competitive element. It’s super engaging. And it made me think of deeper stories with the world almost immediately. I still play this game almost every day after 3 years.

TW: Your newest book, For Steam and Country is steampunk. What elements of that genre inspired you to begin writing, and how did you mold your passion for steampunk into your unique world and characters?

Steampunk’s always intrigued me since I saw the Steampunk ball at Dragon*Con in 2011. The costumes really inspired my imagination, and I love the concept of airships from playing the Final Fantasy games as a kid (and now). Those two things made me realize there’s a lot of space to tell fun adventure stories. I joked with someone last night “the entire reason I wrote this book is because I wanted an airship with propellers, not a blimp, and there’s not many books with those. That’s it.” And… as much as that’s a simplification, it’s half true. It’s so fun to dream of cool gadgets and technologies that never were.

TW: I have to admit, I have only read a few steampunk books…and by few, I think I mean one (shoutout Matt Betts)…but I hope yours gets an audiobook so I can check it out. Reading the synopsis, it sounds like a cross between Space Opera with air ships and a fantasy adventure for the heir to a kingdom.How do those elements blend together, if I’ve pegged it correctly?

JDA: Yeah that’s what I’m feeling with For Steam And Country exactly. A lot of what’s released in the genre so far is alt-history that adds airships and gears and steam-contraptions, but not a ton of straight fantasy Steampunk. I tooked what I love out of Space Opera, and dialed the scale down to fantasy exploration in the sky, the fantasy adventure I’ve always dreamed of. It’s actually very similar conceptually, which I’ve talked about on my blog a couple of times. Both are extrapolations of science and technology that aren’t real, may not be physically possible, but give a cool sense of “what if?” wonder that is super exciting.

TW: What are your developmental plans for the next year in your budding author career?

JDA: A ton planned out. Right now I’m about 50% on a third draft of my own space opera novel which will be a world I’m going to tell a LOT of stories in. Drafting another space opera while doing that, which is at the beginning stages. I’ll of course let everyone know how these progress. I have a short story in the anthology A Fistfull Of Credits edited by Chris Kennedy and Mark Wandry coming out June 30th — which is my best short I’ve written to date, you won’t wanna miss it. I’m editing my own anthology for later in the year, Mars Planetary Fiction through Superversive Press. And then by the looks of how popular it is from the buzz I’m getting, I’m going to have to write a sequel to For Steam And Country in short order.

For Steam And Country is the new novel from Jon Del Arroz, the leading Hispanic author in Science Fiction and author of the top-10 Amazon bestselling space opera, Star Realms: Rescue Run!

Her father’s been pronounced dead. Destructive earthquakes ravage the countryside. An invading army looms over the horizon. And Zaira’s day is just getting started…

Abandoned at an early age, Zaira von Monocle found life as the daughter of a great adventurer to be filled with hard work and difficulty. She quickly learned to rely on only herself. But when a messenger brought news that her father was dead and that she was the heir to his airship, her world turned upside down.

Zaira soon finds herself trapped in the midst of a war between her home country of Rislandia and the cruel Wyranth Empire, whose soldiers are acting peculiarly—almost inhuman. With the enemy army advancing, her newfound ship’s crew may be the only ones who can save the kingdom.

“FOR STEAM AND COUNTRY is a rousing girl-powered fantasy tale. I thoroughly enjoyed this action-packed airship adventure!”
– Laurie Forest, author of The Black Witch

“Well written… those familiar with the genre should find it excellent.” – Peter Grant, author of the Maxwell Saga and the Ames Archives

Bio: Jon Del Arroz began his writing career in high school, providing book reviews and the occasional article for a local news magazine. From there, he went on to write the weekly web comic, Flying Sparks, which has been hailed by Comic Book Resources as “the kind of stuff that made me fall in love with early Marvel comics.” He has several published short stories, and has worked in gaming providing fiction for AEG’s weird est card game, Doomtown Reloaded, and settings for various RPGs. His debut novel, Star Realms: Rescue Run went on to become a top-10 bestselling Amazon space opera. For Steam And Country marks his first foray into fantasy.

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]]>http://www.timothycward.com/2017/06/15/for-steam-and-country-an-interview-with-jon-del-arroz/feed/0Scifi ebook sale – 2 Sand Divers books for $0.99http://www.timothycward.com/2017/06/09/scifi-ebook-sale-2-sand-divers-books-for-0-99/
http://www.timothycward.com/2017/06/09/scifi-ebook-sale-2-sand-divers-books-for-0-99/#respondFri, 09 Jun 2017 11:33:17 +0000http://www.timothycward.com/?p=5429In an anniversary celebration of the release of the second and final book, Scavenger: A.I., I’ve made both books 99 cents for a limited time. No better time than now to catch up on this series as I am nearly done with the newest scifi series’ book one, Ultras (Cipherverse #1).

Scavenger: Evolution (Sand Divers, Book One)

Dune meets Alien in this gripping series perfect for fans of Hugh Howey’s Sand.

Beneath the desert surface, the lost city of Danvar awaits – and the truth that will lay bare the bleak existence of the sand divers. Divemaster Rush isn’t looking for answers, just escape from the tragic loss of his child. But the simple job turns into a trap as he and his wife dive further and further beneath the surface, each time leaving part of themselves behind. And what waits for them below will change their lives beyond belief…

*Inspired by Sand, the Sand Divers series was written and published with Hugh Howey’s full permission, and can be read as a stand alone adventure.

The thrilling conclusion to the escape out of Danvar takes the action of Mad Max: Fury Road and injects it into a hostile environment catered to fans of Alien.

Divemaster Rushing Stenson and his wife Star thought their journey underground would lead to the discovery of the ancient city of Danvar. Instead, they resurrected a power perfect for the tyrant that put them there. He plans to use this self replicating technology to rebuild America and give life eternal to those loyal to his empire.

If the technology that nearly ended our world could bring your child back to life, would you use it?

]]>http://www.timothycward.com/2017/06/09/scifi-ebook-sale-2-sand-divers-books-for-0-99/feed/0New Audiobook Lovers’ Newsletterhttp://www.timothycward.com/2017/05/20/new-audiobook-lovers-newsletter/
http://www.timothycward.com/2017/05/20/new-audiobook-lovers-newsletter/#respondSat, 20 May 2017 22:12:40 +0000http://www.timothycward.com/?p=5418If you scroll down the recent posts on this website, you’ll see how much I love audiobooks. With two young children and a writing hobby, I don’t have a lot of time to sit and read books. Audiobooks have become my go-to for consuming as many books as I can a year. I don’t have a lot of time to curate a frequent newsletter, but I can send out a monthly summary of reviews and include sales, giveaways and special content from the author and publisher contacts I have.

Publisher’s Summary

Now a television series starring Michelle Dockery, coming to TNT this fall.

Fresh out of prison and fighting to keep afloat, Letty Dobesh returns to her old tricks burglarizing suites at a luxury hotel. While on the job, she overhears a man hiring a hit man to kill his wife. Letty may not be winning any morality awards, but even she has limits. Unable to go to the police, Letty sets out to derail the job, putting herself on a collision course with the killer that entangles the two of them in a dangerous, seductive relationship.

Good Behavior comprises three interlinked novellas (The Pain of Others, Sunset Key, and Grab), which together form a novel-length portrait of Blake Crouch’s all-time favorite character creation, Letty Dobesh. This edition is the complete Letty Dobesh collection.

Review

Blake Crouch has toped my best book of the year list two years running, from his second book in the Wayward Pines trilogy, Wayward, in 2015 to Dark Matter in 2016. Good Behavior shows once again how talented Blake is and why every new release of his will skip the line to the top of my to read list.

Good Behavior is a different story than I’m used to from Blake, since it isn’t science fiction or horror, but kind of a noir thriller that has a phenomenal central character. She’s an addict who was robbing a hotel room when while hiding in the closet, here’s the plot of a man hiring a hitman to kill his wife. Our heroine sees this as an opportunity to cross back over the moral line and help the woman before she is killed. That’s the story of the first of three novellas in this collection, but every one was fantastic.

I enjoyed the narratives in between the story where Blake tells us about his inspirations, how his main character was born, and the story behind the television show based on these stories. I am excited that these stories are not the same as the show and that I heard Blake’s reason behind it, so that I could enjoy the show with that insight.

If I had to pick a favorite of the three novellas, I’d pick the last one. They are mostly chronological, though I did wonder whether they used everything that prior stories had happen. I won’t spoil anything, so I can’t really expand on that. The last one gave us the most conclusive wrap up of Letty’s character arc, so that’s why I’d pick that one, though really each story had powerful twists and emotional involvement. She’s an addict who replaces drugs with thievery, but also has goals of entering her young child’s life again after drugs and jail forced her to revoke her guardianship. You root for her being the mother she wants to be, but also suffer with her as she’s pulled between her addictions and helping those she meets along the way.

The audiobook narration is top notch. Julia Whelan is a new voice to me, but she executed Letty’s character perfectly. At no point did I think, oh, this is just a narrator. That’s how real her portrayal of Letty was for me. Cheers on the outstanding job to all. Keep them coming. These are three stories that have made Letty a new favorite heroine to follow.

For We Are Many: Bobiverse, Book 2

Publisher’s Summary

The highly anticipated sequel to Audible’s Best of 2016 – Science Fiction winner, We Are Legion (We Are Bob); a book listeners are calling “so much fun”, “what science fiction was meant to be”, and what would happen if “Andy Weir and Ernest Cline had a lovechild”.

Bob Johansson didn’t believe in an afterlife, so waking up after being killed in a car accident was a shock. To add to the surprise, he is now a sentient computer and the controlling intelligence for a Von Neumann probe.

Bob and his copies have been spreading out from Earth for 40 years now, looking for habitable planets. But that’s the only part of the plan that’s still in one piece. A system-wide war has killed off 99.9 percent of the human race; nuclear winter is slowly making the Earth uninhabitable; a radical group wants to finish the job on the remnants of humanity; the Brazilian space probes are still out there, still trying to blow up the competition; and the Bobs have discovered a spacefaring species that sees all other life as food.

Bob left Earth anticipating a life of exploration and blissful solitude. Instead he’s become a sky god to a primitive native species, the only hope for getting humanity to a new home, and possibly the only thing that can prevent every living thing in the local sphere from ending up as dinner.

Listener favorite Ray Porter returns to narrate Bob – and his many incarnations – in all of their geeky glory.

Review:

As I wrote in my review of the first book in this series, We are Legion, this series took me by surprise with the clean story, light hearted humor and challenging conflicts, while exploring intelligently how an unsuspecting human turned A.I. might discover the secrets of the galaxy. To elaborate on what I mean by “clean” in the story, I mean this isn’t a tough read to grasp. It is very intelligent, but written in a way that allows the reader to sit back and enjoy the story instead of feeling behind and like one has to slow down to catch all the plot points and character information. So far this year, this is easiest escape in reading.

The sequel continues to challenge our hero-A.I. with new threats and upstarts from ones he met in the first book. As I write this, I’m faced with every part I want to get excited about being a spoiler for those who haven’t read this, so I’ll just say that after loving the first book, For We Are Many exceeded my lofty expectations for how the story could expand and face greater conflict that we predicted in the first book. I love seeing how many reviews this book has because it and all who took part in its production deserve every bit of its success.

I listened to the audiobook produced by Audible Studios and narrated by Ray Porter, one of my top 3 narrators across any genre. Overall, I loved the production and experience of the audio format. The humor is delivered well; characters stand out even among the growing number of A.I.’s ; and the tension hits just as it should. My one complaint is that there are not a few places where new lines were inserted from separate reading environments that I wish would have been replicated in however they filter/edit so that it was more seamless. With a production as high quality as this, the bumps are forgiven, but I’d still like to see that fixed in future books.

In conclusion, my highest recommendation to the Bobiverse for readers interested in a fun space exploration by an every day computer coder resurrected into an A.I. space commander… with multiple personalities mimicking characters ranging from Star Trek to The Simpsons.

For fans of Alien and space horror in general, this will be a great experience. The audio production by Audible studios and the narrator cast is top notch, from the sound of the face huggers breaking loose and whipping about to the pulse of machine gun fire–the audiobook feels just like the movie in high def. The voice acting is expertly done and once again you really can’t tell Sigourney Weaver isn’t playing Ripley. This is legit Alien, and I haven’t even started on the story.

I was a little unsure about the placement of this book after having listened to the last Alien audiobook, Out of the Shadows. Is this a direct sequel or just another story? The book summary says it is the sequel, and I don’t want to spoil anything, but I feel one of the emotional moments for Ripley is repeated, and I couldn’t tell if that meant it these two are unrelated Alien side stories or maybe if I missed something and it was just a dream. (Hint it has to do with her daughter).

I enjoyed meeting Newt and seeing her life and family prior to meeting Ripley. Nice emotional investment in the parents and their relationship struggles affecting the kids. There was a question lingering after the end about the survival of a character which the audio presentation did not clear up. For the most part, you can follow along as well as if you were watching, and for that the crew did a great job.

Overall, the story was very good, but lacked a real climax to make this a five star. It will scratch the itch for Alien fans waiting for the next satisfying movie to enter the canon, but as a self contained story, it felt lacking in the end.